Chapter 2: The Burnt Leaves Of Greenhaven

Kael Flynn crouched in the crook of a slender tree, the rough bark digging into his palms. Above him, the leaves were still mostly green, tinged only slightly with the season’s turn. He liked this time of year; it reminded him of when his mother would lead him and his sister into the woods, teaching them to track animals by how the fallen leaves lay scattered. Those memories felt distant, like echoes, and he wondered if he’d ever truly let them go.

Greenhaven was all he had left of them. This place—the woods, the town, his father—was both his sanctuary and his cage. Here, he felt close to his family yet burdened by their memory. After the last beast tide had taken both his mother and sister, he’d sworn he’d find a way to protect himself, maybe even others. But he wasn’t sure who he wanted to protect anymore.

To defend anything, though, he needed power. And to get power, he’d have to prove himself at the upcoming Harvest Moon festival, where the Queen’s agents would assign roles to eager seventeen-year-olds. Those who impressed them might earn a spot at a university, maybe even bond with a griffin—or a dragon, if luck favored them.

Now was his chance, and Kael knew it. The season’s foliage gave him cover in the trees, while the dry leaves on the ground would betray any footsteps below. Not that there were many creatures left to hunt; the skirmish between the orcs and humans that morning had driven most of them away.

He tightened his grip on his crossbow, a rough yet proud creation of his own making. Unlike the town’s aging hunters, whose weapons were handed down, Kael had forged this one himself, the result of countless sleepless nights and hidden study. His father would’ve been furious if he knew.

“Runes are for the nobles and their fancy universities,” his father always said. “A real man fights with steel, not some mystic tricks.”

Kael scoffed under his breath. Yeah, well, steel didn’t save Ma or Sister, did it?

It wasn’t all bitterness. Beneath his anger lay guilt. He’d been too young to help, too afraid to run into the chaos, hiding while the monsters tore through the town. He told himself he’d been too small to make a difference, but that excuse hadn’t held up. The guilt rooted itself in him, twisted and deep. Forced alongside his father, to watch as his mother and sister died fighting the monsters, giving their lives for the town. Earned them the scorn for being cowards. And often, in Kael's case, pity for losing his mother.

The crunch of leaves below jolted him back. His instincts sharpened, and he readied his crossbow, running a finger along the runes he’d etched painstakingly into its side, finding the rune to activate the crossbow and tapping it three times. The metal hummed slightly as essence surged from a small cube of Arcanist’s Steel—barely enough to power the weapon. Then the crossbow’s mechanism whirred softly, pulling back the bolt.

One shot. Don’t waste it. The essence pool was dangerously low, and he couldn’t afford even the cheapest shard to refill it.

Below him, a young boar ambled into view, snuffling among the leaves. Smaller than most boars, though still longer than Kael was tall, with tusks sharp and gleaming in the dappled light. He muttered a curse under his breath. A boar wasn’t worth using essence, but with his crossbow already charged, it was too late to back down.

I’ll make it count, he thought, fingers steady on the trigger. He took a breath, whispering, “For Ma.”

The thick metal bolt shot forward, embedding itself with a dull, wet thud into the boar’s skull. The beast collapsed instantly, twitching once before stilling. A small smirk tugged at Kael’s lips. It worked. His crossbow was no ordinary weapon anymore, not after the runes he’d stolen from old library books.

They’ll see, he told himself. His father, the town, even the Queen’s Agent. They’ll have to take me to the Rune Academy after this.

For a moment, he let himself imagine it—striding into the village square with the boar in tow, proving the precision of his crossbow and the strength of his runes. He knew he shouldn’t get too caught up in the fantasy, but he couldn’t help it. He imagined Aria, the only friend who truly understood him, smiling with that exasperated shake of her head. “All this for a boar?” she’d tease. She was the only one who’d ever spoken to him without pity or scorn.

“You don’t need their permission,” she’d once told him, when he’d been ready to give up on studying runes. “You’re better than them.” Back then, he hadn’t believed her. Now, though, he wasn’t so sure.

You’ll see, he thought, gripping the crossbow tighter. But a boar wouldn’t be enough. Not for anyone to take him seriously. He needed something bigger, something monstrous.

Kael dropped from the tree with practiced ease. He approached the boar, yanking the bolt free with a grunt. A faint hum from the essence runes lingered as he kicked the carcass lightly, wondering if he could use it as bait for something larger.

His crossbow’s reserves were dangerously low, and he didn’t have an essence shard to recharge it. Even a tiny shard cost more than his father earned in a year, and only the orcs could find them with any consistency, hoarding each piece fiercely.

Just then, the ground trembled beneath him, followed by a distant boom like rolling thunder. Kael froze, his eyes narrowing as a second boom split the air, closer this time. The battle between the orcs and humans had reignited—fiercer now, and moving his way. If it drew any closer, it would scare off every creature in the woods for miles, ruining his chance of finding a Horde Master before the Harvest Moon Festival.

With a frustrated growl, he slung the crossbow across his back and dragged the boar by its tusks. It would still make a decent offering for the festival banquet, even if it wasn’t the trophy he needed. Damn it, he thought. If the monsters don’t return soon, my chances will vanish.

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Halfway back to the village, Kael’s thoughts drifted to the Rune Academy. Just one real kill was all he needed—then he’d be free. Free of Greenhaven. Free to learn runes.

Two dragons soared high above the forest canopy, locked in a deadly dance. The larger one cast a wide, ominous silhouette across the forest floor, while the smaller darted and swerved with lethal grace. Their roars clashed in the sky like ancient drums of war, shaking the air and the very ground beneath his feet. He couldn’t tell how close they were, but close enough that every rumbling beat of their wings sent a tremor through his bones.

Kael's heart stuttered, awe mixing with dread.

The larger of the two, a massive creature with scales the color of crimson dipped in shadow, let out another ear-splitting roar. Shadows twisted around her form, making it hard to see where the dragon ended and the darkness began. Flames licked at her jaws, black and red coiling together in a furious dance. Her rider, an orc clad in dark armor, leaned forward, his battle-cry lost in the thunderous sound of the battle.

Facing her, the other dragon—a lean and agile beast—dodged with breathtaking speed. Her fiery crystalline scales shimmered like molten glass in the sunlight, reflecting every flicker of flame she summoned. Her rider, a human woman Kael recognized instantly: Lady Karina Mirrorguard. Her golden armor shone in the sun, but it was the dragon, Pyrope, that commanded Kael’s attention. Her powerful wings beat the air, agile and deadly, every movement a fluid strike aimed at her enemy.

Dragons—and their riders. The heroes of legend, the protectors of the realm. Every child dreamed of becoming one, soaring through the skies, fighting alongside creatures of such magnificent power. But Kael’s admiration was short-lived, for it was clear this was no heroic demonstration but a deadly conflict. And Kael was a witness.

The two dragons circled, each strike of claws and flame exchanged in a stalemate. Pyrope darted in, releasing a blast of searing flame that singed the shadow dragon’s wing. But the larger dragon retaliated with a surge of shadow and fire, forcing Pyrope to retreat. Neither was gaining the upper hand.

Then the ground trembled.

A deep rumble, more felt than heard, vibrated beneath Kael’s boots. His pulse quickened, dread knotting his stomach. And then, without warning, the earth erupted in the distance, a geyser of soil and stone marking the arrival.

From the depths of the soil, a monstrous serpentine creature burst forth, its form twisting and writhing with unnatural fluidity. The *Ruin Beast*. Kael had heard of such horrors only in whispered legends, things not meant to walk the surface world. Its body, even from this distance, seemed impossibly large, was covered in scales that glistened with an oily sheen. Its head—a grotesque amalgamation of mouths and eyes—swung toward the dragons with an insatiable hunger.

The shadow dragon was the first to suffer. The creature struck, its massive body crashing into the dragon, sending her spiraling through the air, one wing twisted at an unnatural angle. Her roar of pain echoed through the trees, and her orc rider clung tightly, fighting to regain control.

Kael’s legs locked in place. His fingers gripped the boar’s tusks so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Fear pulsed through him, paralyzing him where he stood. He had never seen anything like it. The boar lay forgotten at his feet as the monster turned its attention to the dragons. Run, his mind screamed. Run now!

But Lady Karina and Pyrope did not strike the downed foe. Instead, they turned on the Ruin Beast, summoning spears of glittering crystal from thin air. With a sharp command, Karina sent them hurtling into the creature's serpentine body. The spears struck true, but the beast merely recoiled, as though swatting away mere insects. Kael could see it now—the size of this abomination, dwarfing even the dragons.

The shadow dragon, injured but not out, blinked through the air in a sudden shimmer, reappearing in an instant to attack the beast with teeth and claws. The orc rider brandished a gleaming black sword, his strikes precise, cutting deep into the monster’s flesh.

Lady Karina did not hesitate. She guided Pyrope, hurling more crystal spears toward the monster’s head, aiming for the eyes. Kael watched, breath held, as the creature’s rage intensified. It reared back, writhing in pain as one of the spears embedded itself near its eye.

Kael's mind screamed to move. To run. But his body refused. He was no dragon rider. He was nothing. As soon as the beast was finished with the dragons, it would hunt him down.

Another roar split the sky as the Ruin Beast recoiled into the ground, retreating for a moment. The two dragons, battered and exhausted, converged in the sky, high above, hidden in the shelter of clouds.

Kael forced his legs into motion, his heart pounding in his chest. Greenhaven lay to the right of where the dragons hovered, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sky as he ran. He watched as Pyrope and Lady Karina began drawing the very clouds around them, pulling them into a massive, gleaming spear of ice.

The earth trembled once more, the beast emerging again. Its monstrous mouth opened wide, and from the void within, a ball of pure emptiness formed—an orb of destruction that pulsed with dark energy. Kael saw it coming, saw the dragons try to evade, but they were too slow, too drained.

And then, just before the void reached them, the shadow dragon shifted the smaller dragon and her rider to safety. But the price was high. The shadow dragon and his rider were consumed, their bodies devoured by the void in an instant.

Pyrope let out a roar, defiant and full of fury. Lady Karina raised the giant crystalline spear one last time. Its surface shimmered like ice, beautiful but deadly, and with every ounce of essence left in them, they hurled it toward the serpent’s head.

At that moment, the beast unleashed another orb of destruction, sending it straight at the rider. The dark sphere crawled toward them, slower and smaller than before but relentless, and the gap between the two combatants was gone. There was no escape. The void consumed them as they flew, hundreds of tiny mouths forming at its edges, gnashing and tearing through flesh and scale. Pyrope and Lady Karina fell, their once-mighty forms half-eaten, twisted in agony, before crashing to the ground with a sickening thud that shook the battlefield.

Yet their final act had not been in vain. The monstrous serpent, sluggish from its own magic, tried desperately to dodge the spear, but its movements were faltering. The spear, seemingly guided by fate, curved through the air and found its mark. It pierced the creature’s skull with a shattering impact.

The Ruin Beast let out a final, deafening shriek as its massive body collapsed into the earth, its fall so powerful that the very heavens seemed to tremble.

Kael stood frozen, shaking hands gripping the crossbow. His mind reeled from the sight—the devastation, the loss, and the sheer power that had unfolded before him. The dragons were gone, their lifeless bodies scattered across the land, their final sacrifice lingering in the cold, dangerous air. Greenhaven wasn’t safe. Nowhere was.